Fighting
by Pigs and Scrambled Eggs
Summary: After the ghastly dinner Isobel is not sure about her relationship with Dickie Merton. This is my take on her struggle.
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: This is my take on how Isobel should fight for Dickie Merton.

**Fighting**

**Chapter 1**

The ride home in Violet's car was a quiet one. Isobel sat there, motionless, and with closed eyes to fight back some tears which were ready to roll down her cheeks. But she wanted to hold them back. She would not cry least of all not in front of Violet

"Oh, what a ghastly affair this had been", said the Dowager Countess.

"You can say that again", replied Isobel.

Violet remained silent. There was nothing more to be said. Nothing could erase those terrible words Larry Grey had said. Isobel needed time to be alone.

At Crawley House Isobel went to the drawer and put out a bottle of Matthew's whiskey and poured her a glass. The liquid burned in her throat and made her cough. Afterwards she did not feel any better.

She brushed her teeth and climbed straight away in her bed. But sleep was not to come, not for a very long time. Larry's words swirled over and over in her head. Never in her whole life had she been so humiliated. Finally, Isobel could not hold back the tears any longer and she cried quietly.

The next morning she woke very early and with a strong headache. She blamed it on the whiskey.

She skipped breakfast and drank only a cup of coffee. Isobel dressed quickly, did her hair, put on her hat and went straight to the hospital.

"Mrs. Crawley! Good morning", said Dr. Clarkson. "It's been a long time since you were last here."

"That's right. I need something to keep myself occupied." replied Isobel "I would have gone mad if I had stayed at home" she blurted out. She regretted it immediately.

"Has something happened?" asked Dr. Clarkson concerned.

"Nothing" she responded almost angrily "At least nothing of your concern!" Why was she so unfriendly? He was only trying to be nice and she was insufferable.

"Forgive me Dr. Clarkson. I think I go and start doing rounds."

Back at home she tended to the roses in her garden. She needed to be occupied and keep her mind busy. But standing there in her lovely garden did not help much. She was reminded of the day when _he _had come to her and had asked for her hand. Back then, she had also been in her garden. His proposal had been so lovely, much lovelier than Reginald's. His had been rather businesslike. She had been the one in love, not him. He had come to love her afterwards. She sighed. Why was she being so emotional?

Afterwards she went to the abbey to spend some time with her grandson. She met Mary in the nursery. She played a game of Snakes and Ladders and kneeled on the floor. Lady Mary kneeling on the floor to play a child's game! Who would have thought of it?

"Isobel!" said Mary. "How lovely of you to join us. Darling, say hello to your grandmamma!"

"Hello, grandmamma!" said George.

"Hello, my dear boy"

They played the game again. Sybbie was winning.

"I'm sorry about last night's dinner." Mary said quietly.

"Oh, don't be, don't be. It's not your fault." Isobel assured her. "I will get over it."

"I truly hope you are still going to marry Dickie Merton. He loves you very much."

That's true, Isobel thought by herself. But could his love be enough? Would she be able to cope with his sons, especially with Larry? She was not sure.


	2. Chapter 2

**Second chapter**

The next day when Isobel was at home reading a book, the doorbell rang suddenly.

She opened the door.

"Good afternoon, Ma'am." a deliver boy said. "This is for you", he gave her a huge bunch. "And this is for you too." He handed her an envelope. She thanked him and paid him.

It was a huge bunch of flowers and so very lovely. She tended to the flowers and said her on the table in her living room. Soon, the room was filled with the scent of the flowers. She opened the envelope. She recognized the handwriting immediately. Of course he had written.

"Dear Isobel,

Since I imagined that you would need some space after this dinner, I had not call on you yesterday,

I send you these flowers as an apology and I truly hope you will forgive me. I am so very sorry about Larry's and Tim's behaviour.

I would be so glad if you would allow me to see you again soon.

Hopefully you are feeling better.

I send you all my love,

Dickie"

She was glad he had written to her. She looked at the flowers and smiled sadly. They were really beautiful. What was she going to do? Surely, send him her answer. But what should she write to him? She could not think about the lines.

Sometime later she had made up her mind and rang the abbey for a driver.

At Lord Merton's estate, the butler led Isobel to the library.

"His lordship's in there, ma'am. His son is with him."

She hoped it was Tim, who seemed more reasonable than his older brother. Of course she was unlucky. She could hear Larry shouting.

"How could you want to marry her!? She to replace our dear mother. A commoner! I cannot believe it."

"How dear you speak to me in such an impertinent way!" shouted Merton angrily. " And whom I wish to marry is nothing of your concern! I am only astonished that you are not able to allow me some happiness after I've been unhappy my whole life."

"I do not believe you that you were _never_ happy with our mother! She was always kind to Tim and me and loved us very much."

"If you must know" replied Lord Merton "I had only two happy days with your mother and those were the days when you and your brother were born"

Isobel and the butler had now approached the library. The latter cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, milord. You have a visitor, Mrs. Crawley."

Larry turned around and gave Isobel a nasty look. "I'm going, father. Good-day." and left the library, only to turn around at the door and he said angrily "I leave you alone with your _charming_ company."

Merton sighed "I wish you would grow-up, Larry." But it was not sure if Larry had heard what his father had said to him.

Dickie approached Isobel and took both of her hands in his. "I am so very glad you came. How are you feeling?"

"Much better, thank you. I am not sure what to do about it, though."

"Take your time, my dear."

They looked at each other and Isobel smiled slightly. It felt so good to be in his company. If only he had sympathetic sons. The sharp memory of Matthew came to her mind. It still hurt.

"What is it, my love? Is something the matter?"

"I was only thinking of my son." Isobel said quietly.

"I wish I would have had a chance to get to know him better."

"I'm sure he would have liked you very much."

"Would he not have been sad that you wanted to marry me?" Why was he speaking of their marriage in the past tense?

"I don't think so. He would have seen that I am very happy to be with you." she said with a slight smile on her lips.

"I'm so glad that you can still say this, Isobel. It means so much to me."

They remained silent for a while, each of them lost in thoughts.

Then, Lord Merton said "Would you like to come to the theatre with me tomorrow evening? The play _Minna von Barnhelm _by Lessing_._"

"That would be lovely. I'm very fond of Lessing. Thank you for the invitation."


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note: Thank you my dear readers who left a review. And huge thanks to all of you who are following this story. Hope you enjoy the next chapter.**

The next afternoon, Isobel filled her bathtub with hot water, added some milk and took a bath. In this moment, the tension disappeared. Afterwards, she felt afresh and warm.

She dressed very carefully. She had chosen a dark blue evening dress that matched her golden brown hair perfectly. Then she did her hair and put on some make-up. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, she looked very beautiful. She smiled to herself. Then she crabbed her black lace gloves and her purse and left the house. Isobel was a bit excited. Outside, she nearly stumbled and felt. Why was she so clumsy?

Lord Merton waited for her at the train station. "I am so looking forward to this evening", he said and kissed her on the cheek. "You look lovely", he added.

"Thank you. You don't look so bad yourself."

They both laughed. Then they went to their compartments. As they were seated, Isobel said to Dickie. "I hope you could sort things out with Larry."

"I'm afraid not yet but he has to get used to the fact that I'm in love with you and want to marry you."

At the theatre, Isobel felt something like excitement. She hoped the play would be good. They both took their seats.

In fact she did not get disappointed. She liked the play immensely.

During the brake, when both were sipping their champagne, an elderly couple approached them. "Hello Dickie" both said.

"Oh, hello Thomas. What a surprise to see you here. It must have been ages since we last met. Hello Carol" he added.

"What a lovely surprise to see you in company."

"Oh, I'm sorry, may I present Mrs. Crawley? She's a very good friend of mine." As he said this, Isobel stood there frozen. Now she was being just a _friend_? But then, she thought, he could not have been so sure of her answer anymore. It hurt nevertheless.

Carol now addressed Isobel. "What do you think of the play, Mrs. Crawley?"

"Oh I like it very much" she said, glad to get away from these disturbing thoughts.

"I admire the heroine and that she still supports her fiancé no matter what comes and what her family will say. I find her very brave."

"You are very right." Isobel mused about what had been said. She found herself in quiet a similar situation like Minna. She needed to be brave too. Now she had something to think about.

After the play, when Isobel and Lord Merton walked arm in arm back to the station, he asked her whether she had enjoyed their evening.

"Yes, immensely. I liked the play very much and it gave me quite a lot to think about."

"Not unpleasant thoughts, I hope."

"Oh no, nothing of that thought." She smiled.

Back at the village, he walked her home. It was a lovely night. She did not want to part. Therefore she said "Would you like to come inside and share a glass of wine with me?

"Now? Would it not be quite inappropriate?"

"Are you afraid of gossip?" Isobel laughed. "Besides, there is no one out there."

"Very well. Why not?"

Together, they went in. Isobel went the kitchen to prepare some food. As she came back to the living room with a plate of cheese and grapes, Dickie had already lit a fire. She was impressed. She uncorked the bottle and filled two classes.

"Your wine is delicious."

"Thank should try the cheese and grapes."

He took a grape, but instead to put it in his mouth, he put it in hers. She licked her lips. They fed each other with the grapes and cheese and emptied the bottle of red wine. It felt so good to be in his company. Afterwards, Isobel felt a little bit tipsy as she was not much used to alcohol, but very much alive.

It was getting very late.

"I don't want you to leave. Would you, would you stay the night?" she asked shyly.

"Are you sure?"

"I am sure." Her heart was beating fast. She could feel the heat rising to her cheeks. She blamed it on the alcohol.

She took Dickie by the hand and led him upstairs. She felt a bit shaky but utterly contented. When they were in her bedroom, he leaned in to kiss her. She kissed him back with all her heart.

"I love you." she whispered. It was for the first time that she had said it to him. His answer was another consuming kiss. Her cheeks were a burning red.

She lit a candle at her bedside table. They began to undress each other slowly. Neither of them spoke a word. They enjoyed the pleasure silently. He kissed her again, this time with fire.

Then they made love, slowly and tenderly. Isobel felt so much she was afraid to burst. It had been such a long time.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's note: Again thanks to all of you who read this story and many thanks to LovePearls who left such a lovely review!

**Chapter 4**

When Lord Merton woke up the next morning, he was alone in bed. Had it all been a wonderful dream? But then, he could clearly recognize that he was not at his bedroom at Cavenham. Besides, the pillow smelled lightly of lavender. It was _her_ smell. He inhaled deeply and smiled.

Finally, he got out of bed and went to the bathroom. When he was washed, combed and dressed, he went downstairs. Now he could clearly smell the scent of coffee. Was Isobel making breakfast?

Isobel was in the kitchen. She had put on a white apron and was obviously making scrambled eggs.

"Good morning" she greeted him cheerfully "Did you sleep well?"

"Very" he said and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I'm amazed by your many talents" He pointed to the pan.

"Oh, I can make scrambled eggs but that's about it."

"I'm sure you have more hidden talents."

"Cheeky" she said and they both laughed. "But I've seen that you are capable of doing things by yourself" she added and pointed to his clothes. He had dressed very carefully by himself. However, he had to wear no tie. This was a task for his valet who at this time at Cavenham probably wondered about his master's whereabouts

"Now, who is being cheeky? Besides, I was not able to knot my tie."

"I could to this for you, if you like. I always did Reginald's who couldn't knot it too."

"As I said, you have more hidden talents" he said smiling.

Then they both ate their breakfast with relish and sipped their coffee.

"I enjoyed your breakfast very much" Dickie said when they had eaten their last bites.

"Thank you." Isobel said and added "However, I suspect your cook won't allow me to prepare your breakfast in the future."

Lord Merton looked up from his cup of coffee, surprised. "Does that mean you have come to a decision?" he asked. Could it possibly happen after all?

"Yes, I've made up my mind and my answer is yes." she said with a radiant smile. Her cheeks glowed.

"Oh Isobel, you have made me so very happy!" Dickie said and took her hands in his and kissed them.

"Well, how could I give you possibly another answer after last night?" Isobel said coyly.

They both laughed.

"No, seriously, I love you very much and I want to spend the rest of my life in your company." she said earnestly.

"I truly hope I can make you happy, Isobel." Dickie said. "And I hope your life won't change too much in marrying me."

She knew what he meant. They both had a different way of life. It was certain that her life at Cavenham would be very different. As the future wife of a peer life would be from now on indeed very different. And then there were Tim and Larry Grey… If she was true to herself she had to admit that it all frightened her. Isobel tried to shake off such thoughts. Certainly it would be quite an adventure as she had said to Violet some time ago.

"Isobel?"

"Sorry, I was lost in thoughts." Isobel said and looked up "You are right, it will be quite a change, but as you said, change is exciting." She tried to sound confident but she could conclude from his knowing look that Dickie had guessed her thoughts.

He took her hand and said "Everything is going to be alright. You're not in this alone, Isobel."

"I know." She smiled slightly.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's note: Thanks to all of you who are reading and supporting this story. This is the last chapter. I hope you like it.

**Chapter 5**

Some days later, the Countess of Grantham received a letter, when she was sitting with her family in the library.

"Oh, this is nice!" Cora said as she had read the letter.

"What is it, Mama?" Edith asked "What is nice?"

"This came from Lord Merton" she said and waved the letter.

"And what has old Dickie Merton to say?" Robert asked, looking up from the paper he was reading.

"It's an invitation for his wedding to Isobel!" Cora said "It seems they have reconciled after all."

"Well, they had not really argued. It was Larry's fault." Mary pointed out. "But luckily, all is settled now. I'm happy for Isobel and my godfather."

"I suppose, Mama won't be too happy" Cora said. "She won't like Isobel becoming a great lady."

"I don't think so." Mary said "I'm sure she is happy for Isobel."

"What makes you think that?" Robert asked "I remember her saying the whole business was absurd."

Mary did not want to tell her family the true reason for her grandmother's former objection of Isobel's wedding-plans. She was sure her grandmother had told her the truth confidentially. Mary did not want to give her away.

Therefore she said: "I just think she would not mind Isobel's change in status in the end. She is bigger than that."

"When does the wedding take place, Mama?" Edith asked to steer the conversation round to the original subject.

"In two months. It's probably a bit at short notice but I think they want to catch some sun. Autumn won't be long in coming."

* * *

><p>Two months later, it was Isobel's first night at Cavenham. She was sitting together with Lord Merton in the library, both enjoying a glass of His Lordships finest Madeira.<p>

Isobel recalled the day's events. The marriage ceremony had taken place at the beautiful little church of Cavenham village. Only Isobel's family and Dickie's younger son Timothy had attended. Larry had caused trouble in advance as he strictly refused to come to his father's wedding with a common nurse from Manchester stealing away his father's money and ruining the family's name as he had angrily pointed out to his father. After this outburst it came to a severe disagreement between father and son which was a constant pain to Isobel. She hoped things could be mended in the future. She knew that the argument preyed on Dickie's conscience.

"I wish I knew what goes on in this beautiful head of yours, my dear." Lord Merton said.

Isobel sighed. "I was thinking about Larry. I'm sorry that it had come to this."

"It's not your fault. You needn't to feel sorry, Isobel." Dickie assured her "It is Larry who should feel sorry"

"Still, I don't like it to have created a division between you and him."

"He simply has to accept you. If he is not capable of doing this, I cannot help him. I won't abandon you."

Isobel nodded and smiled slightly.

Dickie gave her a loving glance. "Now, let's talk about something more cheerful.

"You are right. I wouldn't want to spoil this evening." She smiled at him.

Dickie finished his glass of Madeira. "I want to show you something." he said.

He took her hand and led her upstairs to her bedroom. The room was lit by candles. On the large bed lay two white roses. On the bedside table she could see some chocolate, grapes and more wine.

"Oh Dickie, this is wonderful. Thank you."

"I'm glad, you like it" he said and poured them a glass of wine. Isobel tried the chocolate.

Dickie raised his glass. "To my beautiful wife and many years of joy with you!"

She gave him a sweet smile. "I love you, Dickie."

His answer was a deep kiss. She tasted of wine and chocolate. He devoured the feeling of her soft lips on his.

She embraced him and he gave her a light kiss on her head. He could smell a scent of lavender. This and the taste of her mouth was utterly intoxicating.

"And now I want to show just you how much I love you" he whispered in her ear.

**The End**

Author's note: Reviews would be wonderful. Thank you.

Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed this story. I wanted to finish this story before this year's CS because I didn't want to spoil my ideas if the outcome of the Isobel/Merton relationship wouldn't be a happy one.


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